Portable blinds are commonly used to provide concealment while hunting or observing wildlife. Typically, such structures are constructed of lightweight frame members capable of disassembly and compact storage to allow easy portability. When assembled, the frames are normally covered by camouflaging material to aid in concealing the structure and sheltering the occupants. To facilitate hunting or viewing at close range, it is desirable that the top or roof be easily and rapidly opened or removed. Ideally, with the top in open condition, the blind should allow unrestricted field of vision and freedom of movement by the occupants. Additionally, it is desirable that a blind be adaptable for use over a pit or hole in the ground.
Known inventions which attempt to achieve some of these desired results include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,622,201, 2,811,977, and 3,323,530. One difficulty encountered with the known blinds is that the structural configurations interfere with vision and movement. In the '530 patent the single sloped roof in an open condition limits unrestricted viewing or movement by the occupant generally toward the direction of slope. In the '201 patent, one side of the structure is completely open, thus failing to provide total concealment. Also, the occupant must exit the structure through the opening in order to move about freely. The only alternative would be to entirely collapse the structure. This same difficulty is encountered in the '977 patent wherein the entire blind must be collapsed or folded to allow the occupant to exit the structure. Additionally, the blind in the '977 patent is attached to a seat which rotates as a unit with the blind about a vertical axis, thus attempting to give the occupant a 360.degree. view. However, the movement of the blind could easily scare nearby wildlife.
When hunting certain types of game, a hole or pit in the ground is used to stand in for better camouflaging, with the opening being covered for shelter and concealment. None of the blinds of the above-mentioned patents is adapted for use over such pits. Specifically, neither of the shelters in the '530 and '977 patents can be reduced in height to provide a full range of vision and movement. Further, the configuration of the blinds disclosed in the '201 patent would require an unduly large hole or pit to accommodate the rotation of the blind.